Weight-Loss Medications Less Effective for People in the 'Real World,' New Study Finds
A new study analyzed patients who used GLP-1 medications in a real-world setting
Researchers found that participants lost less weight compared to use in clinical trials
They believe discontinuation rates are due to high out-of-pocket costs, issues with insurance coverage, side effects and supply shortagesWeight-loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro are not as effective in a 'real-world' setting, according to a new study.
The study — published June 10 in the Obesity Journal — analyzed nearly 8,000 patients who were classified as having severe obesity. Between 2021 and 2023, they were treated with semaglutide or tirzepatide, injectable GLP-1 medications, in a real-world setting.
GLP-1 is short for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, which work in the brain to impact satiety. Semaglutide is sold under brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide is sold under brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound.
In a follow-up study, which ended in December 2024, researchers grouped patients who discontinued their obesity medications into those who discontinued early (within 3 months) and late (within 3-12 months).
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more!
They found that more than 20% of patients discontinued their medications early and 32% discontinued their medications late. Additionally, more than 80% of patients were on lower maintenance dosages of their medications.
After a year of treatment, the average weight loss was 3.6% for those who discontinued their treatment early, compared to 6.8% for those who discontinued their treatment late. Those who continued treatment lost about 12% of their body weight.
During clinical trials for the GLP-1s, patients lost about 15% to 20% of their body weight.
'Our findings about the real-world use patterns of these medications and associated clinical outcomes could inform the decisions of healthcare providers and their patients on the role of treatment discontinuation and maintenance dosage in achieving clinically meaningful weight reductions,' Dr. Hamlet Gasoyan, Cleveland Clinic researcher and lead author of the study, said in a statement.
The study notes that discontinuation rates during real-world use were higher than those in a clinical trial setting due to high out-of-pocket costs, issues with insurance coverage, side effects and supply shortages.
Read the original article on People
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Novo Nordisk announces WeightWatchers collaboration for Wegovy
Novo Nordisk (NVO) said it expanded patient access to Wegovy through a new collaboration with WeightWatchers, beginning July 1. WeightWatchers will work with CenterWell Pharmacy as the dispensing pharmacy managing prescription fulfilment and delivery for NovoCare Pharmacy. 'By extending access to Wegovy through their integrated support system, WeightWatchers aims to provide patients with a more streamlined experience, along with convenient access to FDA-approved medication with the lifestyle support shown to improve outcomes,' the company said. Starting on July 1, Novo Nordisk is also introducing a new cash-offer price of $299 available through July 31. This $299 introductory price is available for self-paying patients who are new to the Wegovy savings offer or those who have not previously filled a prescription through NovoCare Pharmacy. This builds on the previous $199 Wegovy cash-offer patient price that expires on June 30, Novo added. Patients who redeemed the $199 Wegovy savings offer between May 22 and June 30, will be eligible for the $299 price on one fill between July 1 and July 31. For subsequent months, self-paying patients will pay $499 per month. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See today's best-performing stocks on TipRanks >> Read More on NVO: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Is the Hims & Hers Stock (HIMS) Crash a Hidden Buying Opportunity? Citi sees tiered orforglipron pricing $15B opportunity for Eli Lilly Needham Downgrades Hims & Hers Stock (HIMS) on Novo Nordisk Fiasco. Wall Street Sees Legal Risks California seeks to cut Medicaid coverage for weight loss drugs, Bloomberg says Hims & Hers litigation risk 'back on the table', says Truist Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Times
14 hours ago
- New York Times
Is It Wrong to Push Ozempic on My Spouse?
My husband's lifestyle is very sedentary, with minimal exercise (20 to 60 minutes a week), though he does eat a largely healthy diet. I've watched him struggle with his weight over the 15 years we've been together, cycling through various approaches to diet and exercise. Even when he succeeds in losing weight, it always comes back, and now he seems to have given up. As we both approach 50, I worry that his B.M.I., which is 30, and his B.R.I. (body roundness index, a measure of abdominal fat) are high (he can't even button some of his shirts around the middle), which could lead to other health issues. I've already tried encouraging him to move more and eat better, but I can't schedule every one of my workouts for us to exercise together, and he dislikes some of the routines I do, anyway. He's also very sensitive about his weight. Is it wrong for me to try to get him to take Ozempic? I'm hoping that losing weight will help boost his energy levels, which might lead to more self-care. I know it's not my body, and I'm not his doctor, but as his wife I also know it will fall to me to care for him if health issues arise. — Name Withheld From the Ethicist: It's natural to worry about the health of someone you love — especially as the years accumulate and the lines between caring for yourself and caring for your partner begin to blur. Long-term relationships involve a particular kind of vigilance: You notice the wince, the shortened breath, the unbuttoned shirt. This isn't control; it's love in the form of everyday attention. Obesity really is correlated with health problems, and if your husband could lose weight sustainably, his life might improve in ways that matter. Historically, weight loss has been a story of perpetual disappointment — diets abandoned, exercise routines that peter out, New Year's resolutions that start wobbling the following evening when it becomes clear that celery sticks are an imperfect substitute for chocolates. GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic, have helped many people break that cycle. Still, even sound advice can land wrong if it touches a nerve. If your husband is sensitive about his weight, the real challenge isn't knowing what's best; it's finding a way to talk about it that feels loving, not critical. Try to keep the focus on the prospect of his feeling fitter and on your hope for more good years ahead. Maybe suggest he talk to his doctor — not as a directive but as a way to explore options. You're not pushing him to 'fix' himself; you're looking out for him. If it turns out to be a difficult conversation all the same? Loving someone can mean risking that discomfort — for the sake of all the days you haven't yet lived together. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hims & Hers Stock Tumbles as Novo Nordisk Ends Its Wegovy Sales Deal. Can the Telehealth Giant Recover?
Novo Nordisk is feuding with Hims & Hers Health over the latter's sale of compounded versions of Wegovy. Hims & Hers Health's business spans well beyond weight loss drugs, but the fallout of this could damage the company's reputation. A wide range of outcomes makes evaluating the stock more challenging now. 10 stocks we like better than Hims & Hers Health › Up-and-coming telehealth company Hims & Hers Health (NYSE: HIMS) has capitalized on the weight loss drug craze to become one of the market's top performers over the past few years. However, recently, pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, the maker of popular GLP-1 agonist weight loss drug Wegovy, terminated its sales partnership with the company due to its continued efforts to sell compounded semaglutide, the patented active ingredient in Wegovy. The stock tumbled over 30% on the news, but is still up nearly 100% over the past year. Will Hims & Hers recover, or is this the beginning of the stock's troubles? Here is what you need to know. Wegovy is a popular weight loss drug, a type of GLP-1 agonist, that helps patients lose weight by slowing digestion and suppressing their appetite. It was so popular that Novo Nordisk couldn't keep up with demand, and regulators declared a shortage from 2022 to earlier this year. During a drug shortage, healthcare providers can prescribe compounded versions of medications. Compounding involves producing customized versions of a mass-produced drug, typically intended for uncommon circumstances. For example, a patient may experience severe side effects from the commercially available dosage and need a custom dose. Hims & Hers began selling compounded semaglutide (Wegovy) in May 2024, which has helped fuel the company's success over the past year. The semaglutide shortage ended in February, after which compounding was supposed to cease, except in the rare instances where compounding has traditionally helped patients. In April, Novo Nordisk partnered with Hims & Hers to provide direct access to Wegovy to the telehealth company's patients. However, Hims & Hers has continued to sell compounded semaglutide on the basis that patients still require personalized treatments. CEO Andrew Dudum recently posted on X that the company had conducted a study of over 90,000 participants using personalized GLP-1 treatments, though he didn't provide any sources. Novo Nordisk, arguing that Hims & Hers is abusing compounding as a loophole to bypass its patent, terminated the sales agreement. The press release Novo Nordisk put out includes several potentially troubling allegations against Hims & Hers, including: Using deceptive marketing practices Illegal mass compounding to skirt patent protection Selling potentially unsafe knock-off versions of Wegovy, made by Chinese manufacturers without regulatory approval or oversight Now, whether these allegations are factual is impossible to know without more information, some of which may not ultimately come out without litigation. Thus far, Novo Nordisk has not sued Hims & Hers, though it's certainly a possibility. The stock's trajectory from here is up in the air, to say the least. On the one hand, Hims & Hers was a flourishing business before it started offering compounded semaglutide. It grew its subscriber base from 391,000 in Q1 2021 to 1.7 million in Q1 2024 (just before announcing its weight loss launch), selling generic drugs and products for other conditions across skin and hair care, sexual health, and other categories. Management's 2025 sales guidance is currently $2.3 billion to $2.4 billion, with approximately 30% of revenue coming from weight loss drugs. So, while compounded semaglutide has been a significant growth catalyst, which explains why management is fighting to continue selling it, it's not the entire business, by any means. On the other hand, the allegations could damage the Hims & Hers brand and reputation, which are crucial to the business model, considering its treatments, even the personalized versions, aren't proprietary. Numerous competitors sold compounded semaglutide throughout the shortage, and it's been the company's strong marketing and execution that have fueled such impressive growth over the past several years. Now, investors must wait and see whether this drama begins to weigh on the Hims & Hers brand. Will patients start to back away from Hims & Hers? Will Novo Nordisk sue Hims & Hers? Lawsuits can be lengthy and expensive, casting a dark cloud over the stock for the foreseeable future. Novo Nordisk's allegations could be bitter mudslinging, or they could be serious trouble for Hims & Hers if they're true. If anything, it's probably safe to say that a promising, growing business has become a far riskier stock. Investors will want to use extra caution when approaching Hims & Hers until some of the dust settles. Before you buy stock in Hims & Hers Health, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Hims & Hers Health wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $687,731!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $945,846!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 818% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 175% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025 Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Hims & Hers Health. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Hims & Hers Stock Tumbles as Novo Nordisk Ends Its Wegovy Sales Deal. Can the Telehealth Giant Recover? was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
